er ov The Chemical Industry: ar of the World Global partner to around Us the International Year of Chemistry REPORT th of the ANNUAL MEETING 4 INTERCONTINENTAL & 5PULLMAN SCHWEIZERHOF HOTELS BERLIN, GERMANY 1–5 OCTOBER 2011 “It’s fi tting in the International Year of Chemistry, that this Meeting’s theme – The Chemical Industry: 95% of the World around Us – links us and our industry to the lives of people all around the world,” said EPCA President Tom Crotty, welcoming a record-breaking 2,500-plus delegates to Berlin, at the opening session of the 2011 Annual Meeting. It provides a timely reminder of the positive contribution our industry’s products and processes continue to make to our standards of living, health and the environment, he continued. Yet the “paradox is that an industry so central to the lives of people has to work so hard to be recognised as a force for good, not bad,” Crotty Tom Crotty noted. Despite being a key supplier to almost all industries, and Director, Ineos Group helping to transform the delivery of potable water, food, clothing, EPCA President healthcare, education, transportation, industrial production, communications and entertainment, the chemical industry is still viewed in a negative light. “Our successes go unnoticed and our failures get shouted from the rooftops. Yet without us, people wouldn’t have the The paradox is aspirins that cure their headaches or the toothpastes that clean their that an industry teeth, and their mobile phones wouldn’t work. So we need to speak out, to get them to realise how critical chemistry and this industry is to all our so central to the lives!” said the Ineos executive. lives of people has Holding a positively themed meeting in Berlin was entirely to work so hard appropriate, Crotty told delegates. “Germany’s chemical industry has to be recognised done brilliantly in conveying its [benefi cial] contributions. This is the only country in Europe where our industry and our products have a positive as a force for image.” Speaking immediately after the audience had seen the short EPCA-sponsored fi lm Chemistry: All About You, the Association’s good, not bad. President outlined how EPCA and UNESCO are working together to promote the industry among younger people. The aim is to help them understand the importance and contribution of chemistry to their lives and to attract new talents to the industry. It is a challenge he urged everyone in the industry to take up. Summary day 1 day 2 GGENERALENERAL BBUSINESSUSINESS CLOSING LUNCH 12 SSESSIONSESSIONS Middle East, Education and Sustainability” INTRODUCTION Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan • Tom Crotty, Director, Ineos Group, EPCA President 1 • Nadine Dereza, Moderator 3 KEYNOTE SPEECH SSUPPLYUPPLY CCHAINHAIN ANDAND • Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive Royal Dutch Shell (2004-2009) 4 LLOGISTICSOGISTICS LEADERSLEADERS BBREAKFASTREAKFAST 13 PANEL 6 Geographical scope, technology, sustainability, complexity and transparency in “2011 IYC and the Impact EPCA’s supply chain spotlight of the Chemical Industry” Philip Browitt, Agility, Chairman EPCA Presentations : Timothy Hanley, Global Chemical Industry Supply Chain Program Committee, member Group Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu of the EPCA Executive Committee Anne Lise Kjaer, Global Futurist and Founder of Kjaer Global Dr. Giorgio Squinzi, CEO, Mapei, President Cefi c 15 Panel Debate : SSTUDENTSTUDENTS WORKSHOPWORKSHOP Timothy Hanley, Global Chemical Industry Meeting the industry’s professionals Group Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Anne Lise Kjaer, Global Futurist and Founder Meeting EPCA Past Presidents and of Kjaer Global Honorary Board Members Dr. Giorgio Squinzi, CEO, Mapei, President • Chairman : Rein Willems, ex Royal Cefi c Dutch Shell, former EPCA President Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive Royal Dutch Shell (2004-2009) Meeting members of the Young EPCA Think and Tank (YETT) Nadine Dereza, Panel Moderator • Nathalie Brunelle, Chairperson YETT, Vice President Marketing & Sales Base Chemicals Total Petrochemicals EVENING ADDRESS 11 Discovering the Supply Chain and Logistics “The Causes and Investment • Paul Gooch, The Logical Group, Member of the EPCA Supply Chain Implications of Dishonest Money” Program Committee An investor’s view on the current geo-economic Forging new partnerships between industry situation Marc Faber, Editor and Publisher of and academic “The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report” • Dr. Arvind Natu, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research day 1 • General Business Sessions GENERAL BUSINESS SESSIONS INTRODUCTION Nadine Dereza, Moderator Conference moderator, the fi nancial journalist and commentator, Nadine Dereza, said, “The challenge of promoting the chemical industry to the world is fi nding a way to talk to the public in a language they can understand and identify with.” Currently, the chemical industry – the industry of industries - remains a mystery to most people, particularly young people who will shape our future world, she suggested. With this in mind, Dereza welcomed a group of students – all invited for their outstanding exploits at the 2009 Chemistry Olympiad - to the 2011 EPCA meeting. Sponsored by EPCA, these youngsters were in Berlin to meet the industry face-to-face, get a better understanding of how industry works and to help EPCA to promote the fi lm "Chemistry : All About You". Hopefully, they will be inspired to join the industry and even become future leaders. The moderator also noted that one third of the students were young women, whose presence was appropriate in the International Year of Chemistry, which is also The challenge of promoting the chemical promoting women in industry to the world is fi nding a way to science and industry and talk to the public in a language they can targeting a gender understand and identify with. balanced workforce. EPCA • 2011 • ANNUAL MEETING • REPORT 3 day 1 • General Business Sessions KEYNOTE SPEECH Jeroen van der Veer details 6-point focus for industry reputation enhancement Former Royal Dutch Shell chief executive, Jeroen van der Veer, opened his keynote speech with a very optimistic long-term outlook for the industry: “Between now and 2050, the use of chemicals will at least double. Why? Because of growing demand from the world’s increasing population – from 6 billion to 9 billion – and the increasing size of the middle classes. This will be a very big industry. It will be innovative and offer high-quality jobs.” Van der Veer’s verdict on the EPCA fi lm –Chemistry: All about You - was: “Excellent! It shows how you have to make clear to people what our industry is all about.” And while the petrochemical Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive industry will remain based on oil and gas, the former Shell chief Royal Dutch Shell (2004-2009) said society needed to understand that through the products it makes, the sector not only stores CO2 in its products, but also helps reduce CO2 emissions and energy use. Referring to the leadership model he used when leading both the Shell Group and its chemicals businesses, the group’s non- Between now and 2050, executive director said it was important to understand current the use of chemicals status in order to plan ahead, but also to see business from a will at least double. long-term perspective. “Today, the bottom line is OK, and maybe even better than we expected. The fi rst and second quarters of this year were OK, although it’s a bit too early to assess the third quarter. But seen in context, it suggests we are learning to manage through the cycles. If you look at reputation using a long-term axis, 50-60 years ago, this industry had a good reputation. But by the 80s and 90s, its reputation was poor. Today, on balance, I think that while we’re not back to the situation of the 1950s, the industry’s image is a lot better than 20 years ago, although we still have a lot of work to do.” Van der Veer credited signifi cant improvements in the industry’s relationship with its neighbours and local communities to the efforts made through Responsible Care and similar initiatives. But he urged EPCA members to keep improving transparency and openness. Frustrated by media coverage of the industry - “where chemicals mean toxic and cancer” and “we are accused of using up scarce resources like crude oil” – the industry veteran challenged his audience “to do a better job in explaining our useful role.” 4 EPCA • 2011 • ANNUAL MEETING • REPORT day 1 • General Business Sessions Accepting that fi res and explosions, while rare, catch to the expansion of industry, the speaker said. “Instead of public and media attention, van der Veer said industry just making lots of noise and gaining publicity, these NGOs should continue its efforts on product stewardship, and are increasingly using the legal process to prevent or delay incident and accident prevention. It is important to help developments for years and years. Is that a good use of the legal the public understand that this industry has a good record system and public and private funds? As industry, I think we need on managing hazardous materials and the risks associated to work together and talk with governments to explain what is with their production, distribution and use, he noted. happening and the economic consequences of these actions.” “Are there enough young people with the talent we need, especially Van der Veer’s fi fth focus was on investments. In a time of young women, coming into the industry? This is an issue chemicals has economic diffi culty, he urged industry to use scenarios to help been struggling with for over 10 years, and there is more to do, and investment decision-making. “Back in my Shell days, we used we have to do things differently,” the former Shell executive said. scenarios to fi gure out bottom-line positions in future situations, including lousy conditions.